JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Former Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Roy signed a memorandum Jan. 12 directing commanders Air Force-wide to stand down to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing the force. At Langley Air Force Base, Airmen from every unit gathered in small groups Jan. 20 to discuss the resiliency needed to withstand today's stressors.
"Our wingman culture encourages us to look out for one another, and this stand down is an opportunity to stop and think about what is happening and what steps we can take to reach out to Airmen in need," said Schwartz and Roy. "Despite our continued efforts, in just the last two weeks, we have lost several Airmen to suicide. Our Airmen are too important to lose in this manner, and the costs to individuals, families, friends, co-workers, and our mission are beyond measure."
Resilience has become quite a buzz word for the Air Force lately, but what exactly does it mean?
"Indeed, it is a buzz word, and there is a lot of confusion around its definition. So we cannot get caught up in the newness of it. Instead, we need to constantly bring our attention back to the intent behind it," said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Bryan Davidson, 633rd Medical Operations Squadron Psychological Health director. "At its core, the concept of resilience is to promote healthy behaviors and relationships that will help us endure or even grow during stressful times."
According to Dr. Douglas Johnson, at the Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, one of the common denominators of psychologically resilient people is mental flexibility.
"To see the benefits of flexibility, just look at the difference between an oak tree and a blade of grass. The oak tree is large and massive, with a strong but rigid trunk and a system of roots and branches. The blade of grass is slight and has a very shallow root system. Yet, in the face of hurricane-force winds, it's the oak that's destroyed because the blade of grass is able to bend, deflect and return to form," said Johnson.
In addition to discussing resiliency, Headquarters Air Combat Command recently started the Comprehensive Airman Fitness Program. It focuses on four pillars - physical, mental, social and spiritual wellness.
Davidson, who is a clinical health psychologist, says the list of ways to improve resiliency is nearly limitless because the term is so broad.
"The most central focus people should have is establishing and maintaining relationships that are healthy and fit in with their core purpose for life. If you know where you are headed and work to maintain relationships that will help keep you on track, you are much more likely to weather the storms of life and have joy along the way," said Davidson.
There are a wide variety of resources available to personnel at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, including Mental Health, Family Advocacy, Military and Family Life Consultants, and many more. In order to make contacting these agencies as simple as possible, the 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office created a new webpage titled, "Bounce Back." All of the local agencies devoted to Airman and family wellness can be found online at
www.jble.af.mil/bounce.
"In our age of information overload, we need to make it as easy as possible to access helpful resources, and the Bounce Back page was built to do just that," said Davidson. "It provides one-stop shopping for up-to-date information about the various support agencies here at Langley, as well as excellent resources and web links that give Airman and family members ideas for how they can continue to grow into the leaders the world needs today."
In addition to the Langley Helping Agencies, the page includes hotlines such as Military OneSource (800) 342-9647, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800) 273-8255, the Rape Crisis Center Hotline (757) 825-2591, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800) 799-7233.
"If there is helpful information people think should be added to the Bounce Back webpage, please contact Public Affairs at (757) 764-5701," said Davison. "We welcome all feedback so this site is widely used and extraordinarily helpful."